Which to use
“Abfindung” and “Abwendung” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #22,991
- “Abfindung” frequency rank
- #47,185
- “Abwendung” frequency rank
- 70176
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Abfindung | Abwendung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Entschädigungszahlung für den Rücktritt vom Arbeitsplatz | Wegdrehen; Rückzug aus einer Situation |
Where the eye mixes Abfindung and Abwendung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Abfindung and Abwendung
A purely visual mix-up. Abfindung ([ˈapˌfɪndʊŋ]) and Abwendung ([ˈapˌvɛndʊŋ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 70176, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Abfindung is recorded at frequency rank #22,991, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌfɪndʊŋ]. Abwendung is at rank #47,185, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌvɛndʊŋ].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 70176, this pair ranks #454,237 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Abfindung vs Abwendung
Shared letters: abdgnu. Private to "Abfindung": fi. Private to "Abwendung": ew.
"Abfindung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC · "Abwendung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Abfindung" and "Abwendung" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "Abfindung" or "Abwendung" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Abfindung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Abwendung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #454,237 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Abfindung" and "Abwendung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Abweisung vs Abwendung". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #454,237 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.